The movie, When the Levees Broke, directed by Spike Lee, is a candid account of the absolute disaster brought about by Hurricane Katrina. It also bears testimony to the established norms of the truthfulness of narrations of people who went through the harrowing experience. One year after the occurrence of the disaster, director Spike Lee has presented a four hour chronicle that recounts in four parts, by way of images and words, one of the country’s most intense sufferings caused by a single tragedy. The Requiem in four parts reveals the story from people who had the good fortune to remain alive in narrating their experiences. The film also explores the reality of a nation that is still characterized by racial divisions which was aptly demonstrated during the calamity.
Two questions come to mind in considering the over all depiction of the several issues in the film. Firstly the question of the awful performance of the government in dealing with the disaster and sufferings of people, and secondly the state sponsored ignorance of the masses who were made to suffer the horrifying hardships for over five days, supposedly because the affected area was primarily occupied by Black Americans, thus raising the issue of racialism despite the widespread talk of human rights in the modern world.
The film uses footage of news broadcasts and cable archives in portraying the grim story of the American tragedy. The tragedy is subtitled “a Requiem in Four Acts,” which are each of about one hour duration and focus mainly on the sufferings and losses in New Orleans as against the entire Gulf Coast region. Act I introduces the intensity of the film’s contents as the hurricane approaches Crescent City which makes some residents leave while some choose to stay back in anticipation of braving the storm. There is in particular the depiction of the hollow claims of the Mayor who orders a compulsory evacuation though there is no arrangement for public transport. This prevented people who wanted to leave and were thus forced to stay back. The intensity of the problems grew after Katrina struck on August 29, 2005 whereby people were forced to take shelter in the Super dome which became a virtual hell for those who got trapped in it. The poorly engineered levees gave way and flooded almost eighty percent of the city and from here hundreds of people began to die due to drowning and shortage of medicine, water and food. Indeed it was making way for a social disaster that had yet to see bigger misfortunes. Act II of the film portrayed the struggle of the survivors to stay alive in the face of the government’s failure to provide the required relief and assistance. Act III reveals the painful process in which the survivors seek shelter as virtual refugees throughout the country while being unaware about the whereabouts of their family members, friends and relatives. Act IV depicts the sluggish restructuring of the city as claims are refused by insurance companies. The sufferings are further aggravated with shortage of funds as the government continues to pump more money into the Iraq war efforts.
Social themes predominate in the film in terms of the appalling state of the government’s performance in almost every sphere. Specific warnings in regard to the levees were ignored by the government and later the authorities feigned ignorance about the risks. Another factor was the clumsiness with which the response of the government and its machinery was carried out. It was indeed shameful that while the Indonesians reached the required relief and help within four days of the occurrence of the Tsunami in 2004, the Americans were not able to get help for more than five days. The American government becomes guilty of social and racial discrimination especially in view of the fact that When the Levees Broke brings about the feelings of anger of the dispossessed and poor in New Orleans, which has a population that is over 70% African American. It came to be widely believed that the government indulged in blatant racism by way of its callousness, arrogance and ignorance of the events that bore a stark portrayal of its lack of concern for American citizens.
The social factor is strongly portrayed in the film in the context of racialism and the inaction of the government in taking immediate remedial measures. The government’s apathy was further evident when President Bush appeared in New Orleans fifteen days after the tragedy had wrought havoc to most of the people in New Orleans, majority amongst them being Blacks. In regard to the thousands of people who were temporarily lodged in the Astrodome, the President’s mother added fuel to the fire with her comments that the relief measures were working rather well since most of the people in these areas were any way accustomed to living in such conditions. Although Lee does not make attempts to directly hold the Democratic leadership responsible for the lapses, but it is clear that the national government did not budge in bringing relief to the sufferers.
In keeping with the typical New Orleans sense of humour the film portrays an astonishing amount of mischief and joking, but one component of the film just cannot be viewed lightly; the bodies of the dead scattered throughout the city, discoloured and bloated. Indeed this is the prime curse in Greek mythology, whereby an unburied corpse is taken as an insult to civilization and to the gods. It is in this context that the film portrays a mock funeral in being a moving gesture to suggest that despite the collapse of society, a respectable burial is nonetheless befitting.